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Hi @jesuskyr,
Thanks for your prompt reply! Didn't know that files for custom parts are so readily available.
One more question: May I add your .mpd to my Bricksafe folder, as a service for those who don't use LDD? Of course, I'd credit you for creating the file.
Best regards,
Sven

Thanks a lot for your feedback, Phred, ddavid and jesuskyr!
@jesuskyr Awesome work! You even incorporated (most of... ) the alterations to the real model, compared with the LDD file. How on earth did you model the custom-made rods?
Would you mind sending me a PM with the MLCad files and those magnificent renders?
P.S. The transmission has been repaired, video is in the making. Coming soon here on EB - stay tuned!

Thank you too, igordost and Man with a hat!
Update for all of you who are waiting for a video of the locomotive on track: During some test runs this morning, technical problems occured. Probably due to an excess of lubricant, a gear wheel shifted on its axle and caused the engine to stop. Of course, this will easily be solved by installing additional washers to fix the gear wheel. But it means that I will need a few more days, for I have to disassemble the rods, parts of the valve gear and the drive axle, and can only shoot videos on weekends. Sorry for that.

You’re too kind, baard – thank you for your feedback! I’m happy to hear that not only you like the model itself, but also enjoy my photographic efforts.
I hope I’ll find the time to make a video next weekend.
Regarding the transmission, I’m sure you’ll understand that I don’t want to dismantle the model. But perhaps a render might provide some insight? Actually, the drivetrain’s principle is very straightforward and simple:
Well, they are in fact a bit unconvenient to handle as I had to place them so close to one another – the best method is to use tweezers. I chose them because they are less spacious than usual toggle switches, which would have prevented the toolbox doors from being closed.
Thank you very much, legobanker!
Don't quite know what the term "UCS Train" stands for, though. Please explain it to a dummy like me...
As for LEGO Ideas, it's very kind of you to assume that my model would have any chances. However, I'm quite sure they would reject it due to all the third-party elements.

Thank you very much, RogerSmith, RemcoRohaan, _Oceanblue_, Duq and harnbak!
The magnetic switches are from Brickstuff, too. They are factory-mounted inside a Technic half-pin and respond to magnetic fields: When a tiny magnet is put onto the switch, the circuit is closed; with the magnet removed, it’s open. I fitted these magnets into the open studs of „flower“ plates, so I can clip them onto an „empty“ half pin when the corresponding light shall be switched off:
(From left to right: front headlights - rear headlights - cab/running gear lights, upper position: lights on, lower position: off)

Brilliant!!! If this was a Lego set, or there were instructions available, I'd immediately buy them!
Totally agree with every single word of that! (But would like to add the early 90's - Senna, Prost, Mansell - were equally great )

That's a very nice comment. You made my day - thanks a lot for that!
As a rule, yes. In this case, however, I presume that the rear bunker is large enough to hide a genuine LEGO battery box + receiver. I chose the BuWizz because it allows a more precise control and, especially, because the LEGO elements would not have been able to power 3 L-motors.

Thank you so much, Asper, bonox, asomemegablox and Toastie!
Definitely there's a kind of lightness in the appearance of steam locomotives. That’s why it’s extremely important to me to render the gap between boiler and frame correctly – although of course it would be much easier to stabilize the boiler with bricks underneath. Also, the frame itself should look as light as possible, I think.
As for the Scale Modeling Forum: Personally, I would prefer the model to stay in the Train Tech Forum. Simply because I presume that it’s easier to find for the train enthusiasts here – maybe they don’t visit the Scale Modeling Forum too often.

A thousand thanks to all of you for your compliments! I’m very happy that you like my model.
Indeed I am…
@monai Sergio, did you notice that the cab doors do open this time?
(Though it needs some force to close them again.)
To item 1: I suppose you’re right – it’s incredible how expensive especially some of the green parts are. But new ideas are already forming.
To item 2: Of course…
Yes, that’s how it is on the real engine (see e.g. here). I’ll take it as a compliment…
@JopieK Thank you for featuring my model on the front page! That’s a great honour. Thanks also to @Steamdemon and @ColletArrow for proposing the model for the front page.
As for the promised video: When I started to make it this afternoon, I found that I had forgotten to recharge the BuWizz… Now that charging is finished, it’s already too dark for decent motion pictures. For the photos, I used exposure times up to 8 seconds, but obviously that’s not possible for making videos. So I think it won’t be until one of the next weekends that I can show you my beauty hauling a train – I apologise for that delay.

Dear AFOL trainheads,
After almost six months of designing work, another five months of construction, countless bursts of temper, and being relieved of a small fortune, I am very proud to present my latest locomotive MOC.
This time, it’s a 2-10-2T narrow gauge (760 mm) steam locomotive, class 600.76, of the Bulgarian State Railways (Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi, BDŽ).
Basically an enlarged version of the German DRG Baureihe 99.73, the first five locomotives of the class were built in 1940 by BMAG (formerly L. Schwartzkopff) in Berlin for hauling all kinds of trains on the mountainous Rhodope railway from Septemvri to Dobrinishte.
Delivering about 850 hp, the engines were extraordinarily powerful by the time’s standards for single-frame narrow gauge locomotives. They were so successful that the BDŽ were keen to acquire more, but after the Bulgarian Tsardom had turned into a communist republic at the end of WW II, it became almost impossible to buy industrial goods from German manufacturers. Thus another 10 engines were delivered in 1949 by Fablok in Chrzanów, Poland.
These Polish-built locomotives were technically identical to the original Schwartzkopff ones, but could easily be distinguished from the first series by the combined steam/sand dome casing and the odd-looking smoke deflectors, which seem quite ridiculous on an engine with a top speed of no more than 45 km/h!
From 1966 on, after new diesel locomotives had arrived at Septemvri, all class 600.76 locomotives were relocated to Cherven Bryag in northern Bulgaria. Several have survived until today, albeit most of them in desperate condition. One engine – No. 609.76, however, is in operational state (now stationed in Septemvri again) and regularly used for excursion trains.
My model portrays a locomotive from the second series as it ran in the late 1960s, some years after the whole class had been equipped with compressed-air brake and supplementary oil firing. As opposed to the drawing, it therefore has a shortened right side tank (to make room for the air compressor), air reservoirs below the rear tank and an extended coal/oil bunker.
The model is in accurate 1:22.5 scale except for the track gauge, which according to G-scale standard is always 45 mm regardless of the prototype’s actual value (as mentioned before, class 600.76 has 760 mm, or 33.8 mm in 1:22.5). Therefore, it matches LGB garden railway track and rolling stock. Dimensions and height of the coupling bars are designed in a way that they work with LGB link-and-pin couplers.
Three PF L-motors working on the central driving axle are responsible for propulsion, with the other drivers (BBB XL) being coupled by the side rods, just as in the real thing. One BuWizz brick allows to remote-control running direction as well as speed, and serves as a power supply for the lights (separately switchable front/rear headlights, combined cab & running gear lights). The LED equipment was purchased from Brickstuff; valve gear parts and main rods were supplied by zephyr1934.
The running gear layout proved to be quite a challenge. The leading and trailing axle are of the Bissell type and can swing out by 9°. Of the driving axles, the second and third one are blind, while the fourth one is slidable laterally by +/- ½ stud. With this configuration, the engine is running stably on straight track, yet also able to negotiate LGB R3 curves and switches (1195 mm radius).
The model consists of more than 3200 parts and weighs about 2.2 kg.
Enough said – enjoy the pictures!
Some views of the engine frame. For reasons of stability, I had to fill the prototypic cutouts with trans-clear plates and bricks.
You can see the steam inlet pipes running to the cylinders on the outside, as well as the exhaust pipes inside the frame, leading steam to the exhaust nozzle in the smokebox. Underneath, the brake rigging is also reproduced:
The leading/trailing trucks. The tongue connecting the truck to the main frame is free from load, which means that it could be kept prototypically thin; the engine weight is supported by the axle bearings via the 4x4 tile on top.
Fully detailed cab interior, including a tiltable ”Marcotty“ type firebox door and functional folding seats:
Complete smokebox interior as well. The exhaust nozzle, spark arrestor, smoke stack bottom, boiler tube openings and superheater tubes are visible:
Plenty of water in the side tanks:
Some boiler details, among others showing the generator hidden behind the smoke deflectors:
The combined oil/coal bunker can be removed to give access to the power button and the charging socket:
The three magnetic switches for the lights are hidden in the rear toolbox:
Posing in front of a historic BDŽ crest:
The cab lettering:
The lights:
Some matching, albeit non-purist decoration (1:24 GAZ M20 Pobeda by Yatming, 1:22 [sic!] VAZ/Lada 2106 by Avtoprom)…
A short video, showing the valve gear in motion. Note that unlike many conventional model locomotives, the valve stem is really pushed back and forth.
A video of the engine pulling an LGB G-scale train will follow as soon as possible.
As always, you can download the lxf file here. Also, more and much larger pictures can be found in my Bricksafe folder.
Finally, I’d like to say special thanks to Sergio Monai, who with his fruitful feedback and proposals kept me stimulated to achieve the best possible result!
Comments are of course most appreciated – thanks for stopping by!
Best regards,
Sven

Simple, but very clever!
Might be useful for other models, too - maybe for close-coupled cars, or a Kitson-Meyer locomotive. Thanks for the inspiration!
Strangely, building upside-down is an option that never comes to my mind...

What a cute pair!
So many carefully worked out details on these comparably small locomotives. Very inspiring - thanks for sharing!
One question: Why do the two engines have slightly different cylinders? Personally, I like the more rounded shape on #10 better.

Another fine steamer of yours!
From the rubber rings on the drivers, I gather that the drivetrain is in the engine, not in the tender? What motor(s) did you use?
Now I'm waiting for the dark red streamlined version... or perhaps some matching, steel-blue FD-Zug express train coaches?
By the way: It must be hard to keep your cat from chasing all those trains...